Meet the Experts
The field of focused ultrasound is expanding rapidly, both in the UK and around the world. To keep up with the fast pace of progress, the UK Foundation works to profile those pioneering a path forward.
Professor David Cranston
David Cranston, MB. ChB., MA, D.Phil, FRCS Eng, FRCS Ed, is the clinical director of the high-intensity focused ultrasound unit at the University of Oxford. He has worked in focused ultrasound for more than 20 years and was integral to securing the first Chinese focused ultrasound device in the Western world. He has since researched the technology’s potential to treat many tumors, including uterine fibroids and cancers of the kidney, liver, pancreas, and sarcomas.
Professor Constantin Coussios, PhD, OBE, FREng
Professor Constantin Coussios, PhD, is the Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Statutory Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oxford. He received the Silver Medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2017 for his contributions to the clinical translation of novel technologies and was subsequently elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2019. He was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to biomedical engineering as part of the Honours List during Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee Birthday.
Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc
Prof. Wladyslaw “Wady” Gedroyc, MBBS, MRCP, FRCR, is a consultant radiologist at St. Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College National Health Service (NHS) Trust, and has been a champion of focused ultrasound for more than 20 years. He has used focused ultrasound to treat over 800 patients, beginning with women with uterine fibroids for many years and, more recently, patients with essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease.
Professor Gail ter Haar
Professor Gail ter Haar, PhD, is a renowned expert who works at the intersection of focused ultrasound and physics and leads the therapeutic ultrasound team at The Institute for Cancer Research (ICR). Her most recent research has involved developing devices and protocols for ultrasound-based treatments of cancer, investigating focused ultrasound for immune stimulation, and using focused ultrasound to treat liver and kidney tumours. Her team at ICR – along with colleagues at the Royal Marsden Hospital – were recognized as the first Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence in Europe. Currently, her team is involved in a Foundation-funded trial aiming to use focused ultrasound to resolve twin-twin transfusion syndrome.